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	Priest Point Park	xxxxxxxxxxxxx
HABITAT:	Municipal park on saltwater bay w/ 1-mile gravel shoreline, 300-acre riparian forest w/ some old-growth conifers.
BIRDING:	Spring brings colorful migrants: Rufous Hummingbirds, American Goldfinches, and Tree and Violet-green Swallows. Ospreys arrive in May. In November look for Buffleheads, Red-necked Grebes, and Surf Scoters on bay; Greater Yellowlegs along shore; and Varied Thrushes, Black–capped Chickadees, Ruby–crowned Kinglets, Song Sparrows, and Winter Wrens in forest. Nov-April is high season for saltwater species: Rhinoceros Auklets; Double-crested, Pelagic, and Brandt’s Cormorants; Western and Horned Grebes; and Pigeon Guillemots. Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes. Belted Kingfishers, and Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers live here year-round.
VIEWING:	3-mile Ellis Cove Trail winds through old-growth trees and along Budd Inlet’s rocky beaches. Ospreys nest in canopy near trailhead.
ACCESS:	From I-5, take exit 105B (Port of Olympia). Continue north on Plum St/East Bay Dr. Drive 2.1 miles. Turn right (east) into Priest Point Park. Drive 0.4 mile through park, cross over East Bay Dr on bridge. Turn LEFT at “Exit South” sign, then immediately turn right onto road to Ellis Cove Trail. Drive 0.1 mile to Ellis Cove Trail parking.

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